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For the Flag
For the Flag is a 2008 war epic by Happy Hour Films, starring Victoria Breckinridge. It is notable for being their first film to include special effects, as well as effectively spawning the MartiniVerse. Plot The film opens on Sergeant Marcus Marshall leading his men over the edge of the trenches during the Assault on Hill 721. After suffering heavy losses, Marshall orders the retreat, during which the flagbearer is killed. Upon returning to the relative safety of the trenches, Marshall asks Private Huey Jackson why no one attempted to recover the flag. Failing to receive an answer, Marshall goes over the top alone to recover the flag. He runs through heavy fire, sucessfully retrieving it, but is injured by a mortar upon returning to the trenches. He holds onto consciousness long enough to be sure that the flag was intact before drifting away. It is at this point that the film flashes back to Marshall's time in boot camp. In his flash back, Private Marshall is awoken by the sound of banging on his door by his drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Reginald Allen, who berates him for oversleeping. Allen reminds the men of the importance of the war effort, constantly belittling Marshall every chance he gets. After Allen's speech, the men begin their training, and after a brief montage, Allen concedes that Marshall may just make a good soldier after all. In the present, Marshall is awoken by his unit's medic, who tells him that he is fit for battle. Marshall tells his men that while he was recovering the flag, he noticed a weak spot in the German line, and to prepare to charge. Jackson and the medic are wary of this decision, but obey. Unbeknownst to the Americans, the Germans are expecting a charge. Hauptmann Maximilian Reisenweber, the German commander, orders his men to fall silent to lure the enemy out into the field, and to prepare to fire on his command. In the American trenches, the unit's medic notices that all is quiet, a notion that is reinforced by a lone British soldier with a cold. Jackson theorizes that the Germans fell back after the last attack, and Marshall tells his men that they are going to "get out there and find out." They charge over the top, with Marshall at the fore of the division holding the flag, and the film ends on a freeze frame of the Americans before hearing Reisenweber give the order to fire. Cast *Victoria Breckinridge as Sergeant Marcus Marshall *Jacob LaCombe as Private Huey Jackson *Seth Dickerson as Gunnery Sergeant Reginald Allen *Mark Logan as Medic *David Hilbun as Hauptmann Maximilian Reisenweber Awards The film was entered into the 2009 Carencro High School Video and Animation Festival. It won 1st Place in its category (Video - Non-fiction, Medium), 1st Place in Best Special Effects, 1st Place in Best Technical Quality, 1st Place in Best Storytelling, and 2nd Place in Best Sound Track. It was also a nominee for the Lafayette Daily Advertiser's Readers' Choice Award. Behind the Scenes *The character of Sergeant Marshall is a direct descendant of General Rudolph Marshall. *The film was originally intended to be called simply "Belleau Wood," and the title was not changed until the post-production stage. *The film holds the current record for most awards given to a single film in Video and Animation Festival history. *The film's promotional poster mistakenly puts a hyphen in "Belleau Wood." *When Hilbun's character is ordering his troops to prepare to fire, he says "Vorbereitung auf die feuer!" This is technically not proper grammar, as it translates to "preparation for the fire." The correct phrasing should be "vorbereiten zu feuern." Category:2008 Films Category:War Films Category:Epic Films Category:Films